Organic Science Cluster I Films & Interviews

$ 8,660,000 Invested in Organic Research

September 1st 2010, the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz announced a funding of $6.5 million, matched by $2.2 million from industry partners to establish Canada’s Organic Science Cluster (OSC).

The funding, awarded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Growing Forward Program, is meant to support growth in the organic sector by strengthening the science behind organic agriculture in Canada.

The Organic Federation of Canada is the applicant on behalf of the Canadian organic sector, but the OSC will be managed by the Organic Agriculture Center of Canada.

The OSC:
- involves 80 lead and collaborating scientists, the longest standing and leading scientists in organic agriculture, who will be working alongside other scientists who are leaders in their respective disciplines;

- will run until March 2013, spans the country with activities in nine provinces, engaging all major agricultural universities in Canada and enlisting the collaboration of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists;

- involves twenty industry partners, representing many aspects of the organic sector across the country, that will contribute $2.2 million in matching funds to support research activities;

- includes 30 research activities that will:

set the groundwork for significant improvements in phosphorus use efficiency in organic crop production,
lead organic into an era of low-till production without herbicides,
provide a landmark breakthrough in energy efficient organic greenhouse production,
develop effective systems for management of organic horticultural crops,
characterize the contribution of organic production to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
establish benchmarks for animal health and welfare in dairying,
study parasitic infections in sheep production,
and address barriers in high value fruit production.

The Organic Science Cluster will serve to strengthen the capacity and market for domestic organic production while supporting ecologically sound farming practices.
Regular updates will be posted on OACC website.

The Science of Organic Agriculture - Communication

The First Scientific Organic Conference in Canada - VIDEOS

The Organic Federation of Canada invites you to view a series of four videos shot at the Canadian Organic Science Conference (COSC), held in Winnipeg, Manitoba from February 21-23, 2012, featuring Canadian organic scientists and producers sharing their experiences, their vision, and mostly, their great dedication to the development of sound organic production systems in Canada.